Getting libraries on to Google Earth

Having blogged about taking a feed from Directory Web Services in the Talis Platform to provide a sightseeing tour of UK Libraries in Google Earth on our stand at LiS 2006, I've been asked to provide a bit more detail on how it was done. So here we go....

Google Earth is downloaded from here.

Once installed, create a New Network Link below My Places. Give it a useful name like 'UK Libraries', provide this URL as a Location: http://research.talis.com/2006
/sparql/queryEarth.php

Select the new entry, ether press the play button or F10, and sit back and enjoy the show. (F11 gives you a full-screen view).

So what is on the end of URL that you give Google Earth?

It is a small php script which does two jobs.

Firstly it fires off a sparql query to the RDF data store which contains the Directory information. This query returns descriptions of Library Collections, Locations, and access Service Descriptions in the Directory where the Location has associated longitude and latitude information and it has an address within England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Ireland.

Secondly, the results of the query are passed to an xslt transform, to convert the output in to kml, for the consumption of Earth.

Why a php script?

As the API for accessing services within the Talis Platform are still emerging, I obtained early access to a low-level service which enables me to send a query directly to the RDF store, for demonstration purposes the was easier at the time to wrap this up in a script along with the xslt.

As services become available, some simpler queries will be available directly via api calls, and if you are a sparql expert [which I'm definitely not yet!] you will be able to create your own and share & discuss them here in TDN.

And how does the information get in to the Directory?

Today there is one user Interface for managing Directory information in the Talis Platform, you can find it at directory.talis.com. But, as with the rest of the Talis Platform, it is built upon Web Services that can be used by you, us and others to create other general and specialised interfaces for managing Platform data.

I'm sure this has raised as many questions as it answers, so fire away with then and I'll do my best to answer them.